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Things You Might Not Know About Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Telisa Carter

January 10, 2017

Photo by Erik Pendzich/REX/Shutterstock

Jeffrey Dean Morgan really can do it all, from TV dramas to romantic movies to horror drama, and fans love every minute of it. He is handsome, charming, and absolutely hilarious, but those are all things fans already know and love about him, and since he is quite elusive when it comes to being in the spotlight, there is so much more to know about him! From a huge rut in his career, to becoming a family man, here are 10 things not widely known about Jeffrey Dean Morgan:

10. Becoming An Actor

As it turns out, Jeffrey Dean Morgan had no intentions of becoming an actor and it kind of happened accidentally. When in his early 20s, Morgan helped a friend move to Los Angeles, and he hung around for a while. One day he met a casting agent who convinced him to go to an audition even though he had no prior acting experience. He actually ended up landing the role of Sharkey in 1991’s Uncaged (Angel in Red). “I wasn’t very good at it, but I knew that I loved acting immediately,” Morgan said of getting his start in the industry.

Photo by: Michael Germana/Everett Collection

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9. Loves Motorcycles

If Jeffrey Dean Morgan was ruggedly handsome and charming enough, he tops off his bad-boy image by being a real life motorcycle enthusiast. He once revealed that he owns at least five motorcycles and has a soft spot for Harley Davidsons in particular, but that didn’t stop him from once taking a Ducati off the set of The Losers in 2010 in Puerto Rico and going for a little joy ride.

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8. Early Life

Jeffrey Dean Morgan was born on April 22, 1966 to Sandy Thomas and Richard Dean Morgan in Seattle, Washington. He attended Ben Franklin Elementary School, followed by Rose Hill Junior High, and Lake Washington High School. Growing up, Morgan focused on athletics and excelled at both football and basketball and was captain of the basketball team. He ended up getting a basketball scholarship to Skagit Valley College and had dreams of going pro, but an injury to his knee ended that dream.

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7. Owns A Candy Store

Aside from being an actor, it seems Morgan is also a businessman! After a close friend who owned Samuel’s Sweet Shop in Rhinebeck, New York, suddenly passed, Morgan along with friend and fellow actor Paul Rudd and another mutual friend stepped in and bought the business to keep it running. Now, the three men’s wives do most of the work with the candy store and keep it going from day to day. The candy store isn’t his only foray into business either. Before moving to L.A., Morgan had actually started his own graphic design company in Seattle but said he always felt there was something else he was meant to be doing.

Source: Heavy

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6. Being A Celebrity

As a rather elusive celebrity, it isn’t surprising that Morgan has never really been a fan of the attention that comes along with being a star. “I love acting but the star part is not my bag,” he told Flaunt magazine. “It’s weird and you don’t get used to it. I’m not comfortable with it, nor do I want. I want to be with people I care about and hang out with my dogs. Never in my days did I want to be my celebrity.” In fact, he and wife Hilarie Burton purchased a farm outside of Rhinebeck, New York, far away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, and have many animals, including cattle, chickens and alpacas!

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5. Career Problems

After getting an unlikely start in Hollywood, and having no trouble landing a couple of movie roles, Morgan thought that it wouldn’t be difficult to rise up the ladder in the industry, but he was wrong. For almost a decade he struggled to secure major roles, landing only small parts in one or two episodes of different TV shows and was living off of unemployment checks in between the parts. Then in 2005, he got cast on Supernatural and in 2006 landed an even bigger role on Grey’s Anatomy, and he now credits Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes with saving his career. “Grey’s Anatomy gave me the opportunity to be where I am now,” he stated, adding in another interview, “I wake up every morning and thank Shonda Rhimes. That role gave me a career.” Interestingly enough, his former manager, who was also a close friend of his, dropped him as a client only one day before he landed his Supernatural role, telling him she could not resurrect his career.

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4. Getting Into Character

Aside from disliking being in the spotlight, Morgan is an extremely dedicated actor who goes to whatever lengths necessary to give his best performance. When it came to his role in 2007’s P.S. I Love You, Morgan learned to actually play guitar and mastered it in about one week of lessons from Heart’s Nancy Wilson. In 2015 he was required to play a man with tuberculosis for the film Texas Rising, so in order to lose the 40 pounds necessary, he resorted to only eating one can of tuna per day! Morgan also revealed that he has done things such as hanging out in a morgue for six hours and going to homicide school in order to prepare for roles and learn from the people actually doing these jobs.

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3. Personal Life

Early in his career in 1992, Morgan married actress Anya Longwell in Las Vegas, but the pair split in 2003. In the mid-2000s, he then began dating his Weeds co-star Mary-Louise Parker and the pair became engaged in 2007 before abruptly ending their relationship the following year. In early 2009, he began dating actress Hilarie Burton after they were set up by Morgan’s Supernatural co-star Jensen Ackles, whose wife Danneel had starred on One Tree Hill with Burton. The couple welcomed their first child, Augustus “Gus,” in March 2010 and there were reports the two secretly married in 2014, but they never confirmed the rumors. The couple welcomed their second child, a daughter George, into the world in February 2018.

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2. Baby Scandal

In 2009, the notoriously private actor found himself embroiled in somewhat of a scandal after actress Sherrie Rose claimed that Morgan was the father of her then four-year-old son. She stated that she had only just told Morgan about the boy, and very quickly she stopped speaking to the media. In 2015, during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Morgan was asked how many children he had and he simply replied, “I have one,” referring to his son Gus.

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1. Net Worth

For someone who at one point struggled to secure roles, it is safe to say that Jeffrey Dean Morgan has definitely found success in the industry. He has now appeared in prominent roles in huge series such as Grey’s Anatomy, Supernatural, Weeds and The Walking Dead, and has appeared in several films including P.S. I Love You, The Resident, Days of Wrath and more. Altogether, Morgan now has a very respectable estimated net worth of $8 million.

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Telisa Carter

Telisa enjoys learning and writing about all things entertainment in the world of Hollywood. When she isn't catching up on her favorite TV shows, she likes to read, and obsess over all things football.